Can Oregon take the pressure?

posted by by Bob Clark, The Register-Guard
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3 years ago

The Ducks know they’re going to face defensive pressure unlike anything they’ve seen all season when they go against Louisville in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, but how do they prepare for it?

Oregon can’t suddenly create a practice squad out of the reserves that will accurately mimic what Louisville does defensively. There’s no way to schedule a scrimmage against another team that puts on the pressure the way the Cardinals will on Friday in Indianapolis.

And watching video of Louisville will hardly give the Ducks a feel for what’s coming in the semifinals of the Midwest Regional.

“You can compare it to people trying to (simulate) our football team’s speed,” UO coach Dana Altman said. “You can’t do it. You try a little bit and hope the guys get a little feel for it.”

Maybe he needs to put six or seven defenders on defense in practice to raise the level of the challenge to something that will approximate Louisville?